When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. — Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude: Three Meditations on the Christian Life
“Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”—Nelson Mandela
“Democracy has always been waged. In this environment, public protest becomes both more necessary and more risky. Those in power may deploy tactics from the authoritarian playbook—stoking fear, marginalizing dissent, and justifying repression. History shows that when movements stay grounded in nonviolence, discipline, and solidarity, they can expose these tactics for what they are: desperate attempts to cling to control.”—Daniel Hunter and Eileen Flanagan, “Streetwise & Steady: A Workbook for Action Peacekeepers or Event Marshals”
“I believe that order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. On the whole I think knowledge is preferable to ignorance, and I am sure human sympathy is more valuable than ideology.”—Kenneth Clark, Civilisation
“If you feel that you aren’t doing enough, you’re at least right that what you alone are doing isn’t enough. You can’t / don’t / won’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Change-making / justice-seeking / progress is not a solo endeavor. It’s a group effort. You’re doing enough so long as you’re doing your part, however small it may seem.”—Marie Beecham
Jesus is deeply connected to the earth on which he walks. He observes the forces of nature, learns from them, teaches about them, and reveals that the God of Creation is the same God who sent him to give good news to the poor, sight to the blind, and freedom to the prisoners. He walks from village to village, sometimes alone and sometimes with others; as he walks, he meets the poor, the beggars, the blind, the sick, the mourners, and those who have lost hope. He listens attentively to those with whom he walks, and he speaks to them with the authority of a true companion on the road. He remains very close to the ground.
Verse of the day
Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.
– Exodus 4:12
Voice of the day
Lord, take me where You want me to go / Let me meet who You want me to meet / Tell me what You want me to say and / Keep me out of your way.
– Fr. Mychal Judge
Prayer of the day
God, go with us, speak through us, lead us to those you’ve chosen, give us the words you would have us say, and keep us out of your way.
On the flight between Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and the Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport, I was doing a bit of reading from Thomas Merton’s book Disputed Questions. In the light of all that is going on in this country and the profound lack of critical thinking on the part of so many who support the totalitarian regime that is the current presidential administration, these words from Merton seemed quite appropriate.
It seems to me that for all our pride in our freedom and individuality we have completely renounced thinking for ourselves. What passes for “thinking” is mass-produced, passively accepted, or not even accepted. We simply submit to the process of being informed, without anything actually registering on our mind at all. We are content to turn on a switch and be comforted by the vapid, but self-assured slogans of the speaker who, we fondly hope, is thinking for the whole nation. (p. 5, Kindle edition)
“All too much violence exists in the world and our societies. Amid wars, terrorism, human trafficking and widespread aggression, our children and young people need to be able to experience the culture of life, dialogue, and mutual respect. Above all, they need the witness of men and women who embody a different and non-violent way of living. From local and everyday situations up to the international order, whenever those who have suffered injustice and violence resist the temptation to seek revenge, they become the most credible agents of non-violent peacebuilding processes. Non-violence, as a method and a style, must distinguish our decisions, our relationships and our actions.”—Pope Leo XIV, 30 May 2025
Verse of the day
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 8:38-39
Voice of the day
Both God and LGBT people send forth a radical love that breaks down fixed categories and boundaries.
– Patrick S. Cheng, “Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology” (2011)
Prayer of the day
Let us dwell in the truth that nothing—no category, boundary, or fear—can separate us from your radical, liberating love that welcomes and affirms all your children.
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 